One step from the glory
After another hard-won victory Kazakh team is one step from the qualification
Arlan gets two points more after another
battling game, by beating the fierce Kurbads at overtime after suffering the
tie goal with 20 seconds to the final siren, dominating the overtime for the
naivety of Latvian team, allowing a double penalty for a wrong lines’ change. The
game begins with Kurbads much more aggressive than in the debut, even if the
first chance is for Arlan, a post hit by Borovikov after 4 minutes, Kurbads
opens the score with a perfect combination that leaves Sherbatov in front of
the goalie for an easy finishing. The advantage lasts 20 seconds, until the
perfect shot by Evgeny GEvel landing under the left angle of Calpa. At minute
13 Potaichuk misses a great chance with an imprecise shot from a good position.
Even controlling the game and having a couple of chances, unexpectedly Arlan
suffered the second goal, scored by Edgars Brancis but well prepared by Juris
Upitis, today in the fourth line, with Zembergs moved to the first. At minute
18 Calpa is outstanding in denying the goal to Anton Petrov with a spectacular dive.
In the central period Kurbads keeps a constant
pressure on opponent, leading the game with several chances to score, incredibly
suffering the tie goal at the end of period at 39:05 when Aleksandr Nesterov scoring
shorthanded after a controversial move, with the Kazakh forward finishing in
the net along with the puck and the goalie Calpa. The goal was a real punch for
Latvian team, playing very bad a 5 vs 3 opportunity at the begin of third period,
even continuing controlling the game, with two big chances within 20 seconds
for Rancevs at minute 50, in both cases the forward fires on Poloshkov. AS in
yesterday game, the turning point was the difficult for Kurbads to turn the
chances created into goals and the penalties called for slashing. After
surviving a power play, the Latvian team sufferes the third goal in the following
inferiority: the shot by Malevich from the distance passes in the traffic
landing in the net with Calpa’s vision covered by the traffic in front of the
net. Kurbads plays the last minutes very aggressively, with Savenkov pays for
it, hit by a violent charge by Marcis Zembergs, who received a major penalty-
Potaichck misses a chance alone in front of the net. With a great effort and a
bit of luck, Kurbads finds the third goal with 24 seconds to play: with an
extra attacker, even with a man in the sin bin, in the last attack a confusing
move in front of Poloshkov ends with a controversial goal scored by Martins
Cipulis, allowed by goal judge, despite Arlan complains. Before the siren
Kurbads receives a naïve penalty for too many men on the ice and must play most
of overtime with two men down. The resistance is broken at 62:40 when Malevich
finds again the net from the distance giving two more points for Kazakh team, now
a step away from the qualification. Kurbads too has still a chance, beating
Lyon and cheering for a defeat of Gomel in tonight game
After the game, Latvian coach Aleksandrs Macijevskis
stresses about the failure to turning the chances created: “We played well, but
we missed a lot of chances on power play and even with 5 vs 3. Today I’m happy
for the guys, finally we played with our skills, yesterday we started very slow
and under our potential and we were punished. We still have a bit chance to
advance, we respect Lyon but we know we can beat them”
MVP: Uldis Calpa - Evgeny Gevel